Unterach am Attersee Manure Spill Triggers Hours-Long Environmental Rescue

On July 31, 2026, at about 08:20, the volunteer fire brigade of Unterach am Attersee was alerted to a large manure (Gülle) leak from a farm’s slurry pit. The slurry entered a ditch and began flowing toward the Attersee lake. Fire chief Walter Höllermann said, "Bei unserem Eintreffen war die Gülle in einem Graben schon in Richtung Attersee unterwegs. Wir errichteten mit Sandsäcken an drei Stellen jeweils Ministaudämme." The sandbag mini‑dams limited further spread. Together with several farmers, the responders suctioned the affected areas, flushed the ditch with thousands of litres of water and pumped the water out. The district authority ordered a temporary closure of a small lakeshore section, which was secured by the fire service on land and the water‑rescue unit on the lake. In total, 28 personnel from the fire brigade, water rescue, police, the district administration, the fire command and local farmers worked on the operation, which lasted around seven hours.